Be Overweight and Live Longer, German Statisticians Conclude

Contrary to what was previously assumed, overweight is not increasing the overall death rate in the German population. Men who are overweight even have a 7% lower death rate.

Matthias Lenz of the Faculty of Mathematics, Computer Science, and Natural Sciences of the University of Hamburg and his co-authors present these and other results in the current issue of Deutsches Ärtzeblatt International.

• Most Germans are overweight - with a body mass index (BMI) between 25 and 29.9 kg/m2.

• About 20% are obese (BMI of 30 or over), with age- and gender-related differences.